Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The American Samoa Power Authority (ASPA) publicly apologized for a power disruption that lasted nearly two hours this past Tuesday, Aug. 19, significantly impacting residents and businesses across the entire western side of the island.

In their official statement, ASPA clarified that the outage at the Tafuna Power Plant occurred from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM. The disruption was primarily caused by a double fault on the 34.5 kV Tie Line, which runs between the Satala and Tafuna power plants. This fault particularly affected Nuuuli, with notable impact felt near the Methodist Church and Avau.

ASPA emphasized that the power cables on the Tie Line are nearing the end of their 30-year design lifespan. To address this issue, the Authority plans to initiate a comprehensive cable replacement project scheduled to begin in January 2026.

The projected cost of this significant infrastructure upgrade is approximately four million dollars ($4 million), and the entire project is expected to take between 9 to 12 months to complete. Given that the distance between the Satala and Tafuna plants is 11 miles, the project will involve the installation of around 33 miles of 35 kV cables to enhance the reliability of this three-phase circuit.

ASPA is currently enhancing the Tafuna Power Plant by installing four new General Electric generator sets along with a modern 13.2 kV switchgear. This upgrade is essential for allowing the 35 kV Tie Line to be taken offline safely for extended periods during the cable replacement work, thereby ensuring a more reliable and efficient power supply in the long run.

The statement also noted that power reliability might experience some reduction during this upgrade and transition phase. This is primarily due to the necessary downtime that occurs when older generator sets and switchgear are decommissioned and replaced with the new equipment.

In conjunction with these enhancements, the Tafuna Plant upgrade will include the installation of a new 34.5 kV substation that will connect to the 20 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant being developed at Pavaiai. This solar plant is anticipated to become operational in December 2025, representing a significant step towards sustainable energy initiatives in the region.